Basil & Peach Gelato (Vegan)

I have nothing against cows or the milk they produce, especially milk from those happy grass-fed cows.  But 30% of the world can't digest milk products, and millions more choose not to eat animal-related foods.  That's a lot of people who don't really enjoy ice-cream.  And even for the 70% who do, this coconut-based gelato is phenomenally good. I would love to say I made this up in my kitchen, but the credit goes to CSA member Oriel Wiggins, who scooped out a bowl and handed it to me. She smiled wickedly, as she knew I would want the recipe...and want to share it with the world. It would be immoral to keep her recipe, and this goodness, hidden from the basil-loving, peach-loving, ice-cream-loving population of this great earth.  Don't worry if you don't have an ice-cream maker, David Lebovitz will tell you how to make it by hand in your freezer.

Ingredients: 2 cans unsweetened first-pressed coconut milk, chilled 1/2 cup local raw honey 2 locally grown ripe peaches, pitted 15 to 25 large basil leaves 1 tsp vanilla dash salt

Method:  Put all ingredients in the blender and blend thoroughly. Taste and adjust sweetness to your preference.  You may also add more basil to taste. (note: sweetness and flavors are subdued when frozen so take that into consideration when tasting the mixture) Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturers instructions, or click here to follow the David Lebovitz instructions for making it without an ice-cream maker.

Sweet Pepper Salsa With Peaches & Basil

Most of these ingredients were in the previously posted red pepper chutney recipe, but this raw-food version is amazing, and so lovely on top of grilled meats, in a taco, or with almost anything. Mix the following ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Serve immediately, or chill in the refrigerator for up to one day.

4 cups of diced sweet peppers (mixed colors) 1 red chili pepper, diced (optional) 1 cup diced yellow or sweet onion 1 large firm-ripe peach, diced  3-4 cloves of garlic, minced Juice from 1 lime 1 tsp sea salt Freshly ground black pepper About 15-20 10-15 large fresh basil leaves, chopped finely

Summer party Idea: Bite-sized squash fritter with smoked salmon, garlic & herb goat cheese and sweet pepper salsa

Red Pepper and Peach Chutney

I'm amazed at how one can take three or four common vegetables around the world and end up with thousands of different dishes.  Looking at the box of sweet and hot peppers this week, I was certain that they would end up as a red pepper salsa. Somehow I ended up diverting to the southeast a bit...all the way to the southeast of Asia, as a matter of fact.  I was searching through my collection of dried spices and found a packet of black kokum.  I found these little dried fruits at a spice market in Boston, but they may be available at a local Indian grocery upon request.  The sweet and sour smell of kokum, which happened to be right next to a few other aromatic Indian spices, was enough to convince me to boil up a tasty chutney. One thing led to another, and by dinner time I had Minty Potatoes and Squash, Tandoori Chicken, and Cucumber Raita to go with my chutney. If you want to pair it with other meats or vegetables, however, this red pepper chutney will easily add a delicious sweet and spicy kick to many other foods.

Ingredients: 4 sweet bell peppers 1-3 fresh red chili peppers, depending on how much heat you like 1 large peach 1 medium yellow onion 4-6 garlic cloves Juice from one lime 3 Tbs good apple cider vinegar 1 Tbs blackstrap molasses 2 Tbs local honey 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves, cardamom, coriander 1/4 tsp whole cumin seed 1 tsp paprika 1 cinnamon stick 1 dried black kokum (optional), or substitute 1 tsp tamarind paste

Method: Blanch the peach in boiling water, then dunk in a bowl of ice water and remove the skin and stone.  The texture of the chutney is softer if the skins of the peppers are removed. There are several ways to do this, but the first step is to remove the stem and seeds. Next, the skin needs to blister, either under a broiler, in a hot skillet, or on the grill.  I used the toaster oven on a broil setting and it worked well.  Before you peel the skins, let the peppers sweat in a covered bowl for at least 10 minutes, and they should slip right off.  There is a great tutorial with photos on theKitchn if you would like more detail on how to peel roasted peppers.  The red chili peppers are quite hot, so you may want to take care in removing their skins, or leave them on if you don't mind the texture.

Dice the peach, onion, roasted peppers, chili peppers (with seeds if you want more heat), and garlic.  Add to a medium saucepan with the remaining ingredients and simmer with a lid.  Stir occasionally, and cook for at least one hour, or until the chutney caramelizes to your preferred texture and sweetness.  Serve warm or cold.  Refrigerate extras, or seal in jars with a water-bath or pressure caner.

Minty Sauteed Potatoes and Squash

Ingredients: 8-10 small red potatoes 2 small zucchini or squash, sliced into 1/4 -1/2 inch slices 2 Tbs olive or canola oil 4 garlic cloves, minced 2-3 Tbs chopped fresh mint leaves Sea salt to taste

Method: Slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Place in a bowl with cold water and rinse the excess starch from the potatoes.  Drain, then lay the slices out on paper towel and pat dry.  Sprinkle with salt.  In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil in the pan on medium-high heat until it shimmers.  Test to see if the oil is hot enough by placing one of the potato slices in the pan.  It should sizzle when it's ready. Put all of the potatoes in the pan and occasionally stir gently, using a spatula to lift any slices that begin to stick.  Cover with a lid when you are not stirring the potatoes.  When they have begun to brown and are soft enough to pierce with a fork, add the garlic, mint and zucchini slices.  Saute until the garlic and mint are evenly dispersed and the zucchini is bright, but still crisp.  Serve immediately.

Chattatouille

When my daughter was three years old she insisted that I needed to watch Remi (a cartoon rat/chef from the 2007 animated film Ratatouille) make a 5-star version of ratatouille, so I "could make it just like he does." The animated food fascination started with this classic rustic stew of vegetables, and continued on with gingerbread that runs out of the oven, soup from The Tale of Despereaux, and Gruffalo crumble (though we did have to make some substitutions for that one.)

The ratatouille was by far the most interesting and fun cartoon culinary challenge.  Although I did find some recipes online from others who had tried to mimic the animated version, there were some parts of our final product that evolved from choosing the best of whatever was locally and seasonally available.  When we first tried Remi's ratatouille four years ago there was a bumper crop of eggplant in the region, and we happened to have beets available at the same time.  The weather this year has left us with a slightly different assortment of choices. But if you happen to be growing beets and eggplant in your home gardens, or find them at your local farmer's market, this version of the little rat's signature dish will have you licking your plate like Ego (the fictional food critic) did with his own serving.

Ingredients: 2 medium tomatoes (cores removed and quartered), or 1-2 cups of cherry tomatoes 1 red bell pepper, (or any other sweet pepper), seeded and quartered 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges 4 cloves of garlic, peeled Canola or olive oil Sea salt Black pepper 1 Tbs herbs de Provence 1 zucchini, thinly sliced 1 Medium Japanese eggplant, thinly sliced 1 or 2 small beets, thinly sliced

Sauce for garnish: 1/4 cup light olive oil or 4 Tbs butter Juice from 1/2 lemon 1/8 tsp turmeric 1/8 tsp fenugreek powder About 1/4 of a whole nutmeg, grated Dash of white pepper Salt to taste 6-8 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and garlic in a baking dish and drizzle with some oil.  Season with the herbs de Provence, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the tips of the vegetables are dark brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes.  Puree the vegetables in a blender until smooth. Spread the pureed mixture over the bottom of a large baking or casserole dish. Place the sliced zucchini, eggplant and beets (alternately) in a fanned pattern over the top of the tomato and pepper puree.

Brush with a little oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cut parchment paper to the size of the dish and lay it over the top of the sliced vegetables.  Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

While the ratatouille is baking, prepare the lemon sauce for garnish.  Place all ingredients, except the basil, in a saucepan and whisk over low heat until the sauce is warm and begins to emulsify.  Remove from heat and stir in the sliced basil.  Place in a warmed jug. To serve the ratatouille, scoop out some of the vegetables and arrange on the plate.  Drizzle a little warm lemon sauce over the vegetables or on the plate.